The Interloper
by ChereBelleRogue
Summary: Called a traitor by her own team, Persephone tries to find her place by joining the Avengers, but there is an evil from her past that is trying to destroy her happiness.
1. Prologue: Leaving

**A/N: I know I haven't been writing for a while, but here's a new story I've been working on lately. Please look at my bio or profile...or whatever you call it. Read it! :D**

**Let me know what you think. I love all of you!**

* * *

Prologue: Leaving

#Present#

_Remy,_

_I can't do this anymore. The only people in the school that trust me are you, Rogue, and Logan. I'm the outcast of the X-Men and nobody wants me around, so why should I stay. Everyone was my family, the only real family I had. So much of my life was just a disappointment and now the X-Men abandon me too. Why spend time with loved ones that will stab you in the back if you can be alone and completely safe? Sometimes I wonder if coming here was a mistake…maybe I should've stayed with Magneto or died in the base. I'm leaving and never coming back. Tell Rogue that she'll always be the sister I've always wanted, and tell Wolvie that he's the father I never had. I love you all, but this is the last time you'll hear from me._

_Good Luck,_

_Sephie_

* * *

#Three Weeks Ago#

"Rogue, get down!" Wiccan yelled.

Rogue, after being pushed down by Wiccan, looked up to see her friend get hit by an energy beam. Graydon Creed's anti-mutant organization was getting more technologically advanced with deadlier weapons. The Friends of Humanity had tried to destroy a mutant sympathizing homeless refugee shelter.

Gambit charged a card and threw it at the face of one of the terrorists, momentarily blinding him. "Take t'at _homme_!" Gambit yelled. "Tell Creed t'at t'e X-Men ain't ever backin' down."

With all the fighting around the X-Men, one of the FOH members managed to grab Wiccan and take her to an arriving helicopter. Wolverine tried to get to her, but was shot down and distracted by three other terrorists.

* * *

#Two Weeks, Five Days Ago#

Persephone woke in a sterile, white hospital lab with her wrists and ankles cuffed to the dull metal table. Throughout the lab, there were other test subjects on other tables. The rubbing alcohol and other various chemicals brought back memories that she would rather have forgotten.

Feeling sick with a feeling of dread, Wiccan yelled, "Hello! Where th' hell am Ah!"

Although she was unsure of her surroundings and very distressed, Wiccan remained calm-minded, allowing her thoughts to go blank. This allowed her more control over her mind. She tried to use her powers to release her from her bindings, but she had a power suppressing collar around her neck. Fortunately, she was able to access her computer-like brain.

She wracked her brain for any possible way to get her off the table and out of the collar. Finally, she remembered her lesson with Gambit on how to pick locks. Putting pressure on her back molar, she spit a telescopic lock pick into her hand. Because she had been in a similar situation, she decided to be prepared should she be captured again.

Getting up off the table, she looked for a way to get the collar off her neck without causing it to explode. Looking around, she noticed a small electronic key on one of the tables.

_What stupid scientists and guards,_Wiccan thought. _They left the key to the collar out on the table._

She quickly released herself from the collar and checked the other test subjects for a pulse, only to find out that all the subjects were dead. She started for the only door in the room and ran through various rooms and halls in order to escape the horrors of the lab. Unfortunately, the lab was underwater.

"Shit," she said.

A guard had noticed Persephone and called for backup. She quickly grabbed the guard and smashed the back of his head into her knee in order to knock him unconscious. She ran out of the room and found a re-breather inside one locker. Pulling the wires out of the panels in the control room, she managed to start the self-destruct countdown. Persephone was already swimming away when the base exploded, forcing her through the water faster. By the time she made it to the surface, she had to use what was left of her strength to get to the beach before blacking out.

* * *

#Two Weeks Ago#

Waking up strapped to another table in a hospital isn't exactly the way for a person who just escaped a human testing facility. Again, Seph managed to get out of her restraints and ran up the stairs. She froze in shock, realizing that her team-her family-tied her down.

"We need you to tell us what you know," Scott said.

"Ah have no idea what you're goin' on 'bout, One-Eye, but we're all gonna be unhappy if someone doesn't explain why Ah was tied down t' th' cot," Wiccan said angrily.

"Scott and some o' the team say that you're workin' with the FOH. They seem t' think that you left six completely healthy and able mutants t' die in that explosion," Logan growled.

"They were all already dead. What? Did ya want meh t' bring back th' bodies?" she asked.

"We have reliable proof that you are a double agent working for the Friends of Humanity. You got kidnapped during that battle so you could be briefed for your next assignment. Tell us what you were told to do!" Scott yelled.

"Listen, _homme_, I've known t'at girl f'r a while and she ain't guilty," Gambit said.

"If she doesn't tell us what she knows, then she has to be taken out of the X-Men."

"You can't do that!" Rogue yelled.

"I'm the leader of the X-Men and I can suspend or expel whomever I choose," Scott retorted.

"Fahne. Ah'll leave th' X-Men, but Ah'm not leavin' mah family," Persephone stated.

* * *

#Present#

_"Now boarding Flight 24 to Moscow, Russia"_

Persephone walked onto the plane, took her seat, and fell asleep.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but we need you to place your seat in its upright position. We are about to land," said a flight attendant.

Persephone did as she was asked and waited for the plane to land.

As she walked off the plane, she went through the foreign security check with her alternate identification.

**"Добро пожаловать в Россию, г-жа Terra Рейнольдс," **said the security guard. (Welcome to Russia, Ms. Terra Reynolds)

(A/N: now all Russian in this chapter is going to be written in English, but will be **BOLD**)

**"Thank you."**

She walked over to the baggage claim, and then hailed a taxi.

**"Where to, Miss?"**

**"Bring me to the town square in Moscow," Persephone said curtly.**

**The drive was tedious and long, and Persephone was just looking out the window the entire time. She'd been to Russia once before, so she wasn't as captivated as a first-time tourist.**

**Arriving in the center of Moscow, she started towards her hotel. She checked into her hotel under the name of her alias. After placing her baggage in her room, she walked out onto the street. As she was walking, she carefully watched every face that passed by her until one green-eyed woman stuck out.**

**"I thought you left this country behind," Terra said after carefully following the woman to a more secluded area.**

**"Well, we can't all have perfect recall. Besides, I had something to destroy," the woman said. "Do you want to help me?"**

**"What do you want, Natalia?" Terra asked. "You knew I was following you for at least three blocks."**

**"I'm actually going by Natasha Romanoff now, but I'm here to destroy the Red Room,"**

**"You're finally going after them?"**

**"Da-I mean, yes. They deserve what's about to happen. Are you in or not?" Natasha said with a calm fury.**

**"Of course I'll help you," Terra said exasperatedly. "I know how much this means to you."**

**"Thank you, Terra."**

* * *

Infiltrating the base was easy; however, the Red Room had been trying to replicate what they did to Natasha since she destroyed their research and experimental drugs. Terra and Natasha were taking down the new failed attempt Black Widows quickly. Natasha shot the first one in the head, leaving her lifeless on the floor.

"This just goes to show you how they haven't replicated me. I can dodge a bullet at point blank easily, but these failed replicas can't even fight half as well as I could back then," Natasha said with a sneer. "I bet that even Tony could take these girls out without his suit."

"Well, isn't it a good thing that they haven't replicated what they did to you? That would make this so much harder than it already is," Terra said calmly, hitting another with a vine she conjured from the ground. "See? I wouldn't have been able to do that to you. You would've somehow dodged it."

"This damn place needs to be destroyed along with all the staff and directors. Good thing we just _happened_ to be here when the directors decided to check on progress," Natasha said with a smirk as she used her Widow's Bite to take another girl down.

Terra took a chair and threw it into the face of the last girl, effectively knocking her down. She then kicked the girl in the temple in order to keep her down.

"Did you already place the explosives?" Terra asked.

"Yeah. All we need to do now is get out of here and destroy this place."

As they calmly ran out of the base, Natasha shot everyone who walked into her line of sight. Once outside the base, Terra took out the detonator and handed it to Natasha.

"This is your mission. I know how much this means to you after they messed up your DNA back in 1932. You were only four years old. These people are sick, and you deserve the honor of destroying them."

"I know, Terra. I killed Ivan back when I escaped, but the entire Black Widow Program is going to be destroyed. Today. By me," Natasha said with silent fury laced in her voice.

Natasha took the detonator and set off the explosives. They both stood, watching the explosions as if they were fireworks at a celebration.

"I'm going to call Fury and tell him that I'm on my way back."

"Natasha, do you think that I could go back with you and help your team?" Terra asked quietly. "I want to do something good with my power, and I think that working with the Avengers would help me forget my friends' betrayal."

"Sure."

Natasha took out her phone and dialed some obscure number. "This is Black Widow requesting transport for two back to base. Put Fury on the line. Identification number 312192832414"

_"This is Director Fury"_

"I'm bringing a recruit for the Avengers. Meet us in the jet. We'll be ready in ten."

_"I'm going to pretend you didn't talk to me like that, Romanoff. You're lucky that you're a great asset. See you in ten. We knew you would be ready when we noticed the explosion."_

Natasha hung up the phone and started packing with Terra.

After finishing the packing, they walked up to the roof and waited for the jet to pick them up.

"So…do you think that it would be okay for me to be on the team?" Terra asked.

"Well, you don't even need to worry, Miss Reynolds," said a voice behind her. "I am Director Nick Fury. Welcome to the Avengers."


	2. Chapter 1: Not So Warm Welcome

Chapter 1: Not So Warm Welcome

"And this is the main rec room," Natasha said. "Everyone should be in here."

"Hey, Nat," said Clint. "Who do you have here?"

"Hey there," Tony said flirtatiously. "The name's Tony Stark, but you already knew that. I may be many things-billionaire, playboy, philanthropist- but one thing I _want_ to be is with you."

"Give her some space, Tony," said Pepper. "She's only just arrived."

"Sorry about that. I'm Bruce Banner."

"Hey. There's no need for introductions. Fury showed me all your files on the jet. It's an honor to meet the heroes who saved New York," Terra said. "The flight was kinda long. Can someone take me to my room?"

"I'll take you, Terra," Steve said.

As Steve led her to her room, he refused to speak to her no matter how much she tried to break the awkward silence. However, being the gentleman that he is, Steve took her bags into her room for her.

While Terra's back was turned so she could place her things where she wanted, Steve placed a wirelessly transmitting microphone into one of the flowerpots in her room.

"Have a good rest, ma'am," Steve said as he left the room.

After Steve walked out, Terra realized that she left her purse in the other room. She walked out into the hallway and heard angry voices.

"How could you bring her here? We don't even know if we can trust here!" Steve angrily said. "Natasha, you of all people should be more cautious and suspicious of her. Why would you bring her here? She could be spying on us."

"Listen, Steve. I know what spies are like, and she isn't one. She's a mutant and she just wants to help the world. You should at least give her a chance," Natasha replied calmly.

"I won't trust her until she gives me a reason to."

"Steve, she seems like a really nice girl," said Bruce. "I doubt that you would have any cause to distrust her."

"And she's HOT!" Tony and Clint said in unison.

"But….ummm….not as hot as you, Pepper," Tony said nervously as Pepper cleared her throat.

"WHIPPED!" yelled Clint while laughing.

Steve stormed out of the room while the rest of the team was laughing at Tony's expense. He accidentally ran into Terra, looked at her impassively, and walked off.

Feeling hurt, Terra quickly walked back to her room.

_What if this is gonna be lahke with tha X-Men? What if they nevah trust meh, _Terra thought miserably. _Ah don't lahke runnin' from mah own lahfe. Maybeh Ah should just leave before Ah get too attached._

Terra sulked in her own thoughts for fifteen minutes before deciding that she wouldn't run from another life without great cause.

Suddenly, Clint walked in, startling her.

"What's wrong?"

"Suit up," Clint said anxiously. "I guess we get to see what you can do earlier that we expected. Mister Sinister is attacking the SHIELD base in California."

Clint led Terra to the conference room to be briefed.

"Alright, everyone," said Steve. "Mister Sinister is attacking a SHIELD base in California. We think he's trying to take some of the genetic material of the few mutant agents that are in SHIELD. We can't let him get to this. We have no idea what kind of sick experiments he's planning on using them for-let alone on whom he's going to be experimenting on."

"What are the abilities that these mutants have?"

When Steve didn't answer, Tony jumped in, "Well, they won't tell us what their super mutant abilities are, but I hacked into the database and found out."

After a moment of silence, Natasha exasperatedly asked, "Are you going to tell us, or are you going to revel in your ability to hack into SHIELD?"

"Oh, right. Umm…Wanda Marya Maximoff manipulates probability and reality. Her twin brother Pietro is the super speedster of the family. And Angelica Jones has microwave manipulating powers."

"This is why we need to stop him. He can't get any of this," Bruce said urgently.

Walking quickly to the jet, Terra took some time to talk to Clint.

"Does Steve not like me?"

"Steve is just kinda stiff. He doesn't like change too much. It gives him anxiety. He's been burned in the past for being too trusting, so now it takes a while for him to trust new people," Clint said. "But he has no reason to not trust you. You're a babe, and you're awfully sweet."

Terra rolled her eyes and walked onto the jet.

* * *

Arriving in California, everyone jumped off the jet to clear the area. Clint climbed to the top of the building and started shooting arrows with alarming accuracy, while Terra ran off to help the SHIELD agents surrounded by Arclight, Sabretooth, Malice, and Riptide.

Using the water from the air around her, she froze their feet to the ground in order to distract them and focus their attention on herself. Natasha shot Riptide in the back, causing him to charge at her. He ran towards her, but Natasha jumped at him and used her Widow's Bite on his neck.

Tony flew around, helping Clint take down Arclight. Clint would hit his back with an exploding arrow, while Tony subsequently blasted his chest. As they were fighting Arclight, Sabretooth snuck up behind Clint and knocked him out with a swipe of his claw.

_*Clint is down. I'll go help him,* _Terra said through the earpiece Tony had given her.

_*I'm coming with you,*_ Steve said.

Terra rolled her eyes and flew over to where Sabretooth was standing over a vulnerable Clint. She dove at Sabretooth, knocking him away from Clint and off the rooftop. Sabretooth jumped up and lunged for her, but she flipped back and punched him into the wall. She then flew at him to tackle him, but he dodged the attack, but not without scratching her stomach with his sharp claws.

"I knew I recognized you from somewhere," Sabretooth chuckled darkly as he sniffed the air. "Maybe the little _Sephie_ should scurry on home to her little friends."

"You're lucky thaht tha rest o' tha team is here, because Ah would destroy ya."

"Aw, now I don't feel bad about telling you that your little friend, Remy, is about to be…_recruited_ to our cause. I think that he's malicious enough, especially after the Morlock incident. He's good with _Death."_

"You are wrong!" Terra yelled as she kicked him in the temple, effectively knocking him out.

As Terra tied Sabretooth up with conjured vines, Steve ran in to help.

"You're a little bit late," she said teasingly, but Steve just walked back out.

As she walked back out the hole in the wall, she saw Steve carrying Clint back to the jet. At the same moment, she saw Malice (as Polaris) about to attack Steve. Malice threw a large piece of metal at Steve, but Terra flew into the way. The metal knocked her back into Steve, causing Steve to drop Clint and hit the wall hard. Although there was a piece of metal lodged in her side, she grabbed Clint's bow and quiver and shot an explosive arrow at Malice while she was laughing, effectively taking her down.

Terra then froze Malice to the ground before turning around to fly Clint and Steve back to the jet. Once she secured them, she flew back out to help Natasha and Tony.

_*What happened? You need medical attention NOW!*_ Tony said urgently.

_*I'm fine. Do you need any help here?*_

_*No, we were just about to go back to the jet.*_ Natasha said.

She flew with Tony back to the jet to meet up with Natasha.

"What happened to them?" Tony asked.

"They were hurt. I'll fly the jet, but they need medical attention now."

"You're hurt, Terra. I don't think that flying a jet is good for the healing process. Maybe you should rest," Tony said carefully.

Terra thought about his suggestion. Instead of listening to him, she pulled the metal out.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Tony yelled. "YOU COULD BLEED OUT!"

"I'm fine. Look," Terra said calmly as she slowly healed herself.

"Oh…I knew that," Tony said awkwardly.

Terra smiled and walked toward Steve and Clint. She placed her palms on both of their chests to heal them. Her hands were glowing green as Tony and Natasha watched Steve and Clint's injuries disappear.

* * *

As the team reached Stark Tower, now the Avengers Tower, Clint and Steve started to wake up. Both were confused about how they got back to the tower.

"I was wrong about her," Steve said to Clint.

"She's a good girl, Steve," Clint said. "She deserves to be trusted."

"She jumped in front of a large, sharp piece of metal to save both-wait! Is she going to be okay?" Steve realized.

"TONY!" Clint yelled.

"What?! What?!" Tony said urgently as he ran into the room.

"Is Terra okay?" Steve asked anxiously.

"Yeah? Why wouldn't she be?"

"She must have had a piece of metal in her body."

"She could be seriously hurt," Clint said.

"Oh…right…she has a small healing ability. That's why you guys aren't bruised anymore."

"She healed us?" Steve asked.

"Yeah. That's why you don't have a concussion anymore, and why Clint's back isn't all scratched up," Tony said gleefully.

"I was so wrong about her."

"Yes, you were wrong about me," Terra said as she walked in the room. "But it doesn't matter anymore. I forgive you for your mistrust. There must have been a reason."

"Yeah…I'm sorry," Steve said awkwardly. "Welcome to the Avengers."


	3. Chapter 2: Annoyances and Fights

Chapter 2: An Annoyance

"So Nat told me that you're an amazing fighter," Tony said happily.

"I guess," Terra said, only half-listening to Tony.

"I mean, with all your fancy powers, I don't think that you could fight without them."

"Whatever you say, Tony."

"In fact, we need to test your fighting skills…just so we know that you'll be okay with us in battle. Why don't you just spar with all of us down on the training floor?" Tony said, trying to be sly.

"I don't really want to fight today."

"I mean I understand if you don't want to fight Clint or Steve. You're physically smaller than them, and I would hate for you to get hurt. Then there's Natasha, we wouldn't want you to die. Maybe you should just stick to your powers, less complications and bruises."

"You're really asking for a beating, Tony," Terra said, annoyed.

"By who? You? Maybe with your powers, but without them, you're weak."

"If you're really asking for a fight, I can fight you right now."

"We should all get used to your fighting technique and skills. It wouldn't hurt to spar with all of us," Steve said as he walked into the room.

Terra wasn't upset with Steve because he probably didn't understand that Tony was making fun of her.

"You all want to see me fight? Fine. Everyone downstairs in fifteen minutes."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, everyone walked onto the training floor. Clint and Tony drooled while watching Terra stretch.

"Alright, who's first?" Terra asked impatiently.

"Me! Me! I want to go first!" Tony said excitedly.

"Ready to get your ass handed to you?" Terra said mockingly.

"Sure, but I think that Clint, Natasha, or Steve would have to be fighting me for that to happen."

Natasha coughed to cover her laugh. She knew that Tony was going to end up bruised and/or unconscious by the end of the fight.

Natasha laughed silently as Tony tried to tackle Terra.

While Terra grabbed Tony's arm and used his momentum to trip him, Clint asked Natasha, "What's so funny?"

"Terra's fighting skills are on par with my own, and Tony's trying to make her prove her worth by _fighting_ him. She's really the only one who could possibly beat me in a fair fight," Natasha whispered back.

Terra dodged Tony's punch, grabbed his arm again, and flipped him over her body. She then pinned him to the ground.

"Say, 'Uncle,'" Terra said mockingly.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to resist me," Tony leered.

"Ugh," Terra grunted as she hit Tony on the side of his head, effectively rendering him unconscious.

Clint and Bruce moved Tony over to the side of the room while Natasha and Terra laughed at his stupidity.

"Who's next?" Terra asked.

"I'll go," Steve said.

This time, Terra attacked first, catching Steve off guard. Steve blocked her first punch but didn't see the kick flying towards him. Hitting the ground hard, Steve rolled to his feet without giving himself too much time to reorient himself. Terra didn't give him a second's reprieve before sliding between his legs and kicking him in the back from the floor. Steve rolled with the hit and immediately launched himself at Terra; however, Terra started into a flip, but caught his torso with her legs while doing so. Steve went flying face-first towards the ground, but grabbed her leg in one hand and caught himself with the other.

"Steve's not too bad a fighter," Clint said.

"Maybe not, but Terra will still take him down," Natasha replied.

"I don't think that I'll fight you, Terra," Bruce said. "I'm not sure if I could stay calm with all this fighting and adrenalin."

"No problem, Bruce," Terra said as she flipped into the air and kicked Steve in the jaw.

"You don't have anything to prove to me or the team," Steve said, blocking a kick to the face.

"At this point, it's more about letting off steam and working through my anger than trying to prove something that I already know."

Terra knocked Steve onto his stomach and pinned his arm behind his back.

"Alright, I give," Steve said good-naturedly.

Terra helped him up and healed his bruises before asking for another opponent.

"**Fight me, dorogaya **(dear-friendly)**," **Natasha said.

"**Anytime, Natalia," **Terra responded.

"I thought I told you not to call me that," Natasha yelled as she dove for Terra.

"You told me that you were going as Natasha now. There's quite a bit of a difference," Terra said calmly as she flipped backwards.

Natasha threw a punch, but Terra blocked it and retaliated with a kick to the knee. Natasha nearly dodged the kick, but was lunging back at Terra to sweep her feet out from under her; however, Terra flipped over the leg gracefully.

"You know, you girls should fight more often. It looks good," Clint said gleefully. "Hey, Steve, see? Now they're fighting over me. My life is complete."

"Shut up!" Natasha and Terra said in unison.

Natasha took out one of her combat knives and held it to Terra's neck.

"I guess I win this time."

"Think again," Terra laughed.

Natasha looked back to see her other combat knife pointed at her heart from her back. Smirking, she held her hand out for her knife back.

"Looks like we've reached an impasse," Natasha said.

"We usually do."

"MY TURN!" Clint yelled. "I get to wrestle with an attractive woman again. Hey, Nat, you sure that you don't wanna spar with me later on too?"

"Shut up, Clint," Natasha said.

"Turn up the music," Terra said to Natasha.

_A yellow two piece, black Ray-Bans_

_Your bare feet covered in sand_

_White jet trails across the blue sky_

_Your ponytail showin' off the sunshine_

"Hey, this is how I feel about you," Clint said, winking at her as he sang along.

"You like country music?" Terra asked.

"I don't understand you two. Who wants to hear people sing with accents that you can barely understand?" Natasha ranted.

Clint threw a punch at her face. "Yeah."

Terra blocked the punch, dropped down to the floor, and swept his legs out from under him. "Finally, someone understands!"

Clint launched himself at Terra from his position on the floor, but she flipped him over her and sat on his back.

"_Kissing you in the salt air, I can taste it I swear. Take me somewhere sunny and seventy-five," _Clint sang from under her on the floor.

"You've got quite the singing voice," Terra said.

"You couldn't keep your hands off me once you knew, could you?" Clint teased.

Terra jumped off Clint when he started rolling. He faked a kick to her side and put her in a loose headlock from behind.

"_You're like the fast lane west bound. You feel like the windows rolled down. I can't wait until we get there…somewhere-" _Clint sang quietly in her ear.

Terra fell into a split, breaking the loose headlock and swept Clint's feet out from under him again. This time, she pinned his entire body to the ground and whispered, "That may work on some girls, but it's not going to work with me."

"I guess I'll have to try harder," Clint said.

"You lose," Terra whispered in his ear.

"I still think I win."

"Alright, lovebirds, break it up. We're all going out tonight so we can laugh at each other's attempts to sing," Tony said after just waking up.

"Yay. Fun," Natasha said monotonously.

* * *

A/N: Song is _Sunny and 75_ by Joe Nichols

Please Review! I really want to know what you think. All of you have opinions, and though I may not agree with all of them, I respect them and want to hear them! I need to know if this story is worth writing!

I love all of you!


	4. Chapter 3: Respect

A/N: Sorry for the delay. I've been working on homework and other things. I'll probably be more free to update now.

Thank you for the amazing reviews from **Kay** and **Silent Song of the Shadows**.

Please leave a review. I like to know what other people think so I can make things better!

* * *

Chapter 3: Respect

Standing in her room, Terra decided to wear a loose green shirt with a plunging neckline, a black seamless mini skirt, and a pair of black pumps. After deciding to forego makeup, she walked out to the Rec Room.

"Let's just get this over with," Natasha said.

"No recording any of this," Terra said ominously, "or you might not wake up tomorrow."

"Hey, babe," Clint said flirtatiously. "See, Tony, I told you she'd look hot."

"Clint, leave her alone, or I might be the cause of your coma," Natasha threatened.

"There's no need to be jealous, Nat. I still love you," Clint jokingly said.

Natasha made a rude noise and walked into the elevator with Terra.

* * *

The team sat down at Tony's table in the karaoke bar.

"I bet I can get Steve to sing a country song about America," Terra whispered in Natasha's ear.

"I'd love to see that," replied Natasha.

Terra walked up to Steve and whispered something in his ear.

"Next up is Steve, singing a Brad Paisley song," said the DJ. "Here's _American Saturday Night_!"

Steve shyly walked on stage and took the microphone.

While the music started playing, Steve looked nervously at Terra. She nodded in encouragement, so Steve started singing.

"_She's got Brazilian leather boots on the pedal of her German car_

_Listenin' to the Beatles singin' "Back in the USSR"_

_Yeah, she's goin' around the world tonight, but she ain't leavin' here_

_She's just goin' to meet her boyfriend down at the street fair"_

"He's not the best singer, but he's not bad," Bruce said kindly.

"Who would've thought that Steve would like country music?" Clint said.

"He doesn't. I just got him to sing it," said Terra.

"No way! How?" Tony asked excitedly.

"I'll never tell."

"_It's like we're all livin' in a big ol' cup_

_Just fire up the blender, mix it all up_

_It's a French kiss, Italian ice_

_Margaritas in the moonlight_

_Just another American Saturday night"_

"Come on, PLEASE!" Tony begged. "Please, please, please, please, please, please, please!"

"Shut up! We're trying to hear Steve sing!" Terra said.

"_It's a French kiss, Italian ice_

_Spanish moss in the moonlight_

_Just another American, I'm just another American_

_And it's just another American Saturday night!"_

Everyone in the room clapped respectfully for Steve at the end of his song. Another singer walked onto the stage after deciding to sing "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys.

"Wow. This guy is drunk…and a terrible singer!" Tony exclaimed.

"Not everyone can sing as well as Clint," Natasha said, smirking at Terra.

"No. No, no, no," Terra said after seeing the look Tony shot her. "I'm not singing."

"Well, I understand that you think that you'd look horrible if you sang after Clint," Natasha said, laughing.

"I'd like to hear you sing," Steve said timidly.

"I would too," Bruce said.

"Fine. But I am _not_ going first."

"I'll go first," Clint said smugly as he walked up on stage. "Play a Luke Bryan song-any Luke Bryan song."

"_Got a little boom in my big truck_

_Gonna open up the doors and turn it up_

_Gonna stomp my boots in the Georgia mud_

_Gonna watch you make me fall in love"_

"Come on, let's dance," Terra said, laughing at Natasha's expression.

Terra grabbed Natasha and ran to the front of the stage, dancing in front of Clint.

"I really hate country music," Natasha said.

"I don't."

"_Shake it for the young bucks sittin' in the honky-tonks__  
__For the rednecks rockin' 'til the break of dawn__  
__The DJ spinnin' that country song__  
__C'mon, c'mon, c'mon__  
__Shake it for the birds, shake it for the bees__  
__Shake it for the catfish swimmin' down deep in the creek__  
__For the crickets and the critters and the squirrels__  
__Shake it to the moon, shake it for me girl"_

"Clint's a great singer," Steve said.

"He's dancing like a maniac," Tony said, laughing at Clint's hip thrusts.

(A/N: Watch Luke sing this song. That's how Clint's dancing.)

Once Clint's song was over, he walked back over to the group.

"Nice dancing there," Clint leered.

"Not so bad yourself," Terra laughed back.

"Beat _that_," Tony exclaimed.

Without bothering to respond, Terra walked on stage.

"_Something has changed within me_

_Something is not the same_

_I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game_

_Too late for second chances_

_Too late to go back to sleep_

_It's time to trust my instincts_

_Close my eyes and leap"_

"She's amazing," Steve said.

"You don't even know where this song is from. I bet she can't hit the high notes," Tony said jokingly.

"You'd be surprised, Tony," Natasha said.

"_Too long I've been afraid of_

_Losing love I guess I've lost_

_Well, if that's love it comes at much too high a cost"_

"Her voice is beautiful," Bruce said.

"It really is," said Clint, admiring her. "Tony, she's the perfect package."

"Shhh…she's about to get to the high notes," Tony said. "I want to see if she'll hit them."

"_So if you care to find me_

_Look to the Western sky_

_As someone told me lately,_

_Everyone deserves a chance to fly_

_And if I'm flying solo,_

_At least I'm flying free_

_To those who ground me_

_Take a message back from me!"_

"She hit that high note," Natasha contemplated.

"_And nobody in all of Oz_

_No wizard that there is or was_

_Is ever gonna bring…me…down!"_

"Okay, I admit it. She's amazing," Tony said. "Maybe if this superhero stuff doesn't work out for her, she could go on Broadway."

Suddenly, as Terra was walking off stage, a large ball of metal burst through the entrance of the building. When the sphere opened up, a fiery dragon flew out and attacked the people inside the building. Immediately, Terra picked up a table and threw it at the fire in an attempt to distract the creator. Just as she was about to approach the metal sphere, a red beam hit it and sent it through another wall, out of the building.

_Somethang's familiar about thaht laser, _Terra thought.

Cyclops ran through the hole in the wall to fight the pyro kinetic adversary who had just jumped out of the sphere.

_Shit,_ Terra though, _They're gonna recognahze meh._

Rather than running to hide, Terra sprang into action to help innocent citizens.

Terra lifted an SUV over her head and threw it at Blob. Although he caught the car, he slid back a few feet from the force of the throw. Immediately, Quicksilver ran towards her. Knowing about his lack of control and restraint, Terra stepped to the side at the last moment, laughing at his confused expression.

"Hey! That's unfair," he whined.

"I could kick your ass from here to China," Terra said mockingly, "and even with your speed, you still wouldn't be able to hurt me."

"I'll show you!"

Quicksilver lunged at her, but she stepped out of the way and tripped him. Quickly, Terra summoned roots from the ground to tie him down.

As she looked up, Natasha shot Mystique in the shoulder, effectively neutralizing her as a threat. Steve threw his new shield at Blob's head. As his new shield was made of both Vibranium and Adamantium, it was effective in knocking Blob out. Magneto had taken control of Tony's suit. Terra had slightly weaker magnetic powers from her connection to nature, so she struggled to keep Magneto from crushing Tony in his suit.

"What made you think that attacking Magneto, who has _magnetic_ powers, with your _metal_ suit?" Terra yelled though the comms.

"Granted, this wasn't my best idea, but I like to think that you're fighting for me right now," Tony said.

"You're an idiot," Terra said. "Clint, do you have any arrows that have no metal in them?"

"Of course, I'm always ready for a fight with a magnetic megalomaniac."

"What the hell. Why would you be ready for that?" Tony asked.

"He lives in New York. His nemesis lives in New York. They _will_ fight," Clint deadpanned.

"I need you to shoot an arrow at him, something non-fatal. It should give me the upper hand to save Tony," Terra said quickly.

Immediately, Clint aimed and shot his arrow, landing the hit in Magneto's side. Magneto's control slipped, so Terra used his pain to land Tony.

"Get out quickly."

Tony clamored out of the suit and towards cover; however, the Scarlet Witch used her power to transport Clint somewhere.

Terra tackled her to the ground and moved her to a more secluded space away from the team.

"Tell me where you took him," Terra demanded.

"I'll never tell you," she retorted.

"Wanda, don't make me ask again."

"Aw…Poor li'l Sephie…all frustrated that her little boyfriend's gone," Wanda taunted. "If you really want to find him, follow your X-Men friends. He's back at home. Don't worry though, father and I will take very good care of him."

Without thinking, Terra kicked Wanda in the head just as she fell through her portal.

* * *

Terra picked up the phone in the Avengers' Tower and called Nick Fury.

"Clint's been captured by Magneto."

"I heard," Fury said.

"Why aren't we doing anything about it?"

"SHIELD has everything under control."

"I'm going to go and get him if you won't," Terra stated.

"You are not to attempt to rescue Barton. That is an order," Fury demanded.

Rather than answering, Terra hung up the phone and walked to the Rec Room.

"I'm going after Clint," Terra stated to everyone.

"But we don't have orders to-"

"I am going alone, disobeying a direct order from Fury," Terra said, interrupting Steve.

"I'll go with-"

"No, Natasha. The team will need you while I'm gone. It would be dangerous for all of you. They are mutants…I'm a mutant…it evens out the playing field for me, and I won't feel the need to constantly watch over you."

"How are you going to find him? I could have JARVIS scan the world for facial recognition," Tony said.

"I know exactly where she took him," Terra said. "She took him home with her."

"Where's home?"

"Genosha."

* * *

Terra landed the jet on Genosha, a small island north of Madagascar, in a small patch of forest to hide it. Walking off the jet, she hid her face under the large hood of her cloak.

Although her face was not visible to Genoshan locals, no one paid her any attention. Many mutants that lived on Genosha had physically visible mutations, so when one mutant refuses to show their face, they would write it off as embarrassment or shyness.

As she made her way to Magneto's palace, someone called out to her.

"Hey, could ya help meh fahnd Magneto's palace?"

_Shit! _Terra thought. "Sure, I was just headed there. What business do you have with Magneto?"

"Xavier is just tryin' t' arrange a peace agreement. What's your name?"

"Oh, I'm Terra."

"Nahce t' meet ya. Ah'm Rogue."

"That's an unusual name," Terra responded.

"Well, _Persephone_, ya have quite the original name yaself," Rogue said, smirking.

"Damn, how'd you know?"

"You're mah best friend. Why are ya here?"

"I'm here to rescue a team member. I'm with the Avengers now," Terra replied.

"We miss ya, Sephie. Can Remy, Logan, and Ah see ya sometahme?"

"Sure. I just live in the big, ugly building that says _Avengers._ Just be sure to call me Terra. I don't want them knowing I was with the X-Men just yet."

"Great. So how can Ah help ya with your rescue mission?" Rogue asked excitedly.

"Wanda has Clint. We're going to find him."

* * *

They walked into the palace in silence, making their way downstairs towards the dungeons. As they made their way through, they released other prisoners to distract everyone.

"There he is," Terra said.

"Ya nevah told meh that he was so cute," Rogue laughed.

"Ugh! Let's just get him out of here."

"We could fly outta here," Rogue responded.

"Well…why didn't you say that earlier?" Terra asked, exasperated. "Never mind, let's just go."

"Ah hope ya don't get jealous that Ah'm holdin' your boyfriend's hand," Rogue teased as she flew them out.

Just as Terra was about to retort, Wanda blocked the walkway of the jet.

"I knew you'd come, Sephie."

Terra turned to Rogue and said, "Take him back to the Avengers and tell them that I sent you. I'll take care of the Scarlet bitch."

"But-"

"Go!"

With that, Rogue grabbed Clint and flew away.

**Rogue**

Rogue arrived at the Avenger's Tower with Clint. Immediately, Natasha had her guns pointed at Rogue, assessing the situation.

"What did you do to him?"

"Terra sent meh. She made meh leave t' rescue him while she fought the Scarlet Witch."

After saying so, Rogue flew away.

**Clint**

Clint woke up in the medical unit on a helicarrier.

"What happened?"

"Terra saved your sorry ass," Natasha said.

"I knew she liked me," Clint said happily. "Where is she? I wanna thank her."

"She hasn't come back yet."

"How long have I been out?" Clint asked worriedly.

"Three days."

"So she's either been captured…or she's-"

"She's been captured. She's too stubborn to die," Natasha replied sharply.

* * *

**R&amp;R!**


End file.
